 | Erik Reitz and the Aeros renew acquaintances with Brad Ference and the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights this week at Toyota Center (Photo by Jason Villanueva) |
Monday, February 5, 2007
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)
AEROS WEEKLY REPORT
Coming Attractions – Maple Leaf Happy Hour Games on Tuesday, Thursday!
Click the above link or call 1.866.GO.AEROS for single-game tickets.
TUE, vs. OMA, 7:05 p.m.
The Maple Leaf Pub Happy Hour
It's a Maple Leaf Pub Happy Hour. Get a center ice seat, free parking, $10 in Toyota Bucks and a drink coupon for Maple Leaf Pub, all for just $32. The package is also available in the lower endzone for $23. Call 713.974.PUCK now to order!
The Aeros haven’t beaten the Knights yet this season in five games (0-2-0-3), with each of the last three games coming via the shootout. The first three meetings this season all came via shutout, with G Curtis McElhinney earning two whitewashings. Houston, though, has never lost in regulation to Omaha at Toyota Center, going 5-0-0-2. Overall, the Aeros are 7-3-1-4 versus the Knights.
Omaha (29-15-3-0) is in second place in the West Division with 61 points. The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights are six points back of Chicago, but they have four games in hand on the wolves. Omaha has lost two of three, including a 2-1 home decision to last-place San Antonio, after reeling off seven straight wins. This game commences Omaha’s six-game road trip.
McElhinney will look to join Milwaukee's Brian Finley as the lone netminders to shut out the Aeros three times in a single season. Omaha's Brent Krahn also has one shutout versus Houston this season. This is the third time in team history the same team has shut out the Aeros three times in one season. Grand Rapids did it in 2002-03, and Milwaukee followed in 2004-05. No team has ever earned four shutouts versus the Aeros in a single campaign.
THU, vs. OMA, 7:05 p.m.
The Maple Leaf Pub Happy Hour
It's another Maple Leaf Pub Happy Hour. Get a center ice seat, free parking, $10 in Toyota Bucks and a drink coupon for Maple Leaf Pub, all for just $32. The package is also available in the lower endzone for $23. Call 713.974.PUCK now to order!
The Aeros and Knights wrap up the two-game set. Omaha makes just one more trip to Houston – March 24.
This should be an exciting set of games. Nine of the teams’ 15 overall meetings have gone to overtime or a shootout, including each of the last three. Four of the seven home games have seen extra time, including each of the last three. Omaha swept a pair of shootout games at Toyota Center on December 7-9.
SAT, at PEO, 8 p.m. – note special start time
The Aeros and Rivermen play 10 times this season, but this will mark just the fourth meeting. Houston is 1-1-0-1 in the first three, but fell 4-1 in its lone trip to Peoria on December 3. The Aeros are 7-5-0-1 all-time versus Peoria in the regular season, and swept the Rivermen in the 2006 West Division Finals. Houston is 2-4-0-0 versus Peoria at Carver Arena.
Peoria (23-19-1-2) is fifth in the West Division with 49 points, four behind fourth-place Iowa but with three games in hand. The Rivermen have lost five of six, and host San Antonio on Wednesday to begin a four-game homestand that finishes with two more against the Rampage.
SUN, at MIL, 4 p.m. – note this game was originally scheduled for February 28
The Aeros haven’t lost in regulation to the Admirals this season (3-0-2-0), but fell 3-2 at Milwaukee in overtime on Friday. Each of the teams’ last three meetings has gone to overtime or a shootout.
Milwaukee (24-18-3-6) is in third place in the West Division. The Admirals have been helped by a league-high 19 overtime/shootout games, including four of their last seven games. The Ads are 8-3 in overtime alone. This will be the third game in three nights for Milwaukee, which hosts San Antonio on Friday and Saturday.
All Aeros games are broadcast live on KNTH 1070-AM and through Aeros.com... For $6, you can also watch the game live via B2 Networks. Visit Aeros.com 10 minutes prior to gametime to order.
Player of the Week G Miroslav Kopriva
Aeros G Miroslav Kopriva
2/1 vs. MIL 42-44, W (4-4 in shootout)
2/2 at MIL 37-40, L (OT)
Totals – 2gp, 1-1-0, 2.39 gaa, .940 pct.
Made back-to-back starts for the first time this season…Made career-high 42 saves, plus four-of-four in the shootout, in 3-2 win over MIL Thursday…Stopped 37 shots as Aeros fell 3-2 in OT at MIL Friday…The Aeros have gone to overtime or a shootout in each of Kopriva’s four starts this season.
Notables –
The Aeros have played six straight one-goal games, going 1-2-3-0 in that span. It’s the longest run of one-goal games since a seven-game stretch October 24-November 6, 2004.
Houston has played three straight OT/SO games for the first time since January 4-January 9, 2004. The last time the Aeros played four straight extra session games was December 27, 2003-January 2, 2004.
The Aeros are 1-16-2-1 when scoring two or fewer goals. They are 18-6-1-4 when scoring three or more.
Houston is 7-8-3-5 in one-goal games, but just 1-5-3-1 in its last 10 such games. The Aeros have only two non shootout one-goal wins, the last coming 3-2 at Iowa on November 9. Houston’s 16 non-wins in one-goal games are the most in the AHL.
The Aeros have scored first in back-to-back games, after going eight in a row allowing the first goal. This marks the first time Houston has scored first in back-to-back games since December 14-16. The Aeros scored first in three straight games just once this season – October 27-November 1. Houston has scored first in just 18 of its 49 games. Only Worcester has taken a 1-0 lead fewer times (15).
Houston is 0-3-2-1 in its last six road games.
Affiliation News
The National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild is in third place in the Northwest Division with 62 points (29-21-4) after a perfect 3-0-0 week…The Wild sits in eighth place overall in the Western Conference, but in the Northwest Division, it is tied for second, just two points behind first-place Calgary… Minnesota finishes a five-game road trip in Dallas on Tuesday, before hosting Florida on Thursday and Carolina on Saturday…C Wyatt Smith has two assists in 39 games and is averaging 9:03 TOI.
The ECHL’s Texas Wildcatters went 1-0-1-1 in a three-game home set with Long Beach last week…The Wildcatters are 25-12-4-4 for 58 points, one point behind Gwinnett for first place in the South Division… Texas begins a five-game road trip this week, traveling to Pensacola on Tuesday, Gwinnett on Friday, Charlotte on Saturday and South Carolina on Sunday…D Mike Madill (3-28=31), and D Paul Albers (9-20=29), both Minnesota Wild contracts and ECHL All-Stars, rank tied for fifth and tied for eighth, respectively, among all ECHL defensemen despite their rookie status…F Mark Rooneem has 13 points (6-7=13)…Riley Emmerson has three points (2-1=3) and 81 PIM’s…C Alex Leavitt has 17 points (6-11=17) in 18 games…G Matt Yeats, who attended Aeros camp, is 17-10-4-2 with a 3.28 gaa and a .907 save pct.
The Central Hockey League’s Austin Ice Bats are 16-17-10 and are in third place in the Southeast Division…G Tony Quesada is 2-4-2 with a 2.47 gaa and a .923 save pct.
Aeros pick up three of four points
HOU 3, MIL 2 (SO); MIL 3, HOU 2 (OT)
Thursday: Miroslav Kopriva made 42 saves and was perfect on four shootout attempts, leading the Houston Aeros to a hard-earned 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals in front of 8,150 on Chronicle in Education First Flight Field Trip Day at Toyota Center. Roman Voloshenko and Curtis Murphy each scored regulation goals, and Voloshenko and Shawn Belle scored in the shootout for the Aeros.
Friday: Rich Peverley scored 44 seconds into overtime after Nicolas Corbeil scored twice in a six-plus minute span of the third period, leading the Milwaukee Admirals to a 3-2 victory over the Houston Aeros in the back end of a home-and-home at Bradley Center. Karl Goehring made 23 saves for Milwaukee.
Rookies Benoit Pouliot and Ryan Hamilton had a goal apiece and Miroslav Kopriva stopped 37 shots for the Aeros.
Aeros’ Practice schedule:
Monday – 10-11:30 a.m., Sugar Land
Tuesday – 10:15-11 a.m., pre-game skate; vs. OMA, 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday – 1-2 p.m., Sugar Land
Thursday – 10:15-11 a.m., pre-game skate; vs. OMA, 7:05 p.m.
Friday – Travel Day
Saturday – at PEO, 8 p.m.
Sunday – at MIL, 4 p.m.
Non game-day practices (unless specified) are at Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center, the Official Training Facility of the Houston Aeros.
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